Can-body-forming machine.



No. 871,268. PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907. J. A. GRAY. CAN BODY FORMING MACHINE.

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iy l nu ATTORNE K5 No. 871,268. PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907. J. A. GRAY.

CAN BO DY FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19. 1906.

a 8HEETS-SHEBT 2.

' INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

No. 871,268. PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907. J. A. GRAY. I

CAN BODY FORMING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 313.19. 1m.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

WITNESSES.-

' ATTORNEYS I PATENT. OFFICE.

JAMES A. GRAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

/ GAN-IBODY-FOBMING momma.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San rancisco and St ate of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Body- Forming Machines, of which the following 1s a s ecification.

' phis invention relates to that class of machinery by means of which tubular can bodies are formed from flat blanks of sheet metal. Such canbodies, side seamed by interlocking hooks on the edges of the blanks are afterwards side-seam soldered and then headed and head-soldered, thereby becoming complete sheet-metal cans. The present in- .ventionhowever relates only to the making of the can-bodies proper, as the subsequent soldering, and heading operations can be done in many different ways, either by sepa rate apparatus or by connected mechanism. Any suitable side-seam soldering apparatus might be connected directly with and so form apart and continuation of the present machine; such connection with and continuation of a body former being well known in the art of can making.

' .The object of this invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction of body form-. ers, to increase the rate of production, to make substantially true round can bodies and to produce a smooth neat side seam. All these objects are accomplished by a machine, an embodiment of which is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine: Fig. 2-is a detail view of the cam and arm for rocking one of the edge-hook forming dies:

. Fig. 3 1s a cross section showing the position of a body blank in the hook forming part of the machine, such part not having yet operated: Fig. 4 is a similar view showing two substantially right angled bends at the edges of the blank, as the result of the first movement of the hook forming dies: Fig. 5 is a similar view showing two acute angled hooks at. the edges of the blanks produced by the second or-reverse movement of the forming dies Fi 6 is an end view of a can body with interlocked edges just previous 'to the bumping or flattening of such edges to form the side seam: Fig. 7 is a front elevationof the folding wings closed around the horn or mandrel upon which the body is formcdz Fig.18 is a similar view with the bumpergor seam closer and mandrel ex- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19. 1906- Sarial No. 801.847.

Patented Nov. 19, 1907.

pander about to operate: Fig. 9 is an elevation like Fig. 7 the mandrel having been expanded, the side seam bumped and the wings raised. This view comprises two detached mechanism, the horn bumper and expander as one, and the raised wings above.

Referring first to Fig. 1 a machine frame is shown at 1' adapted to rest upon or be secured to a floor. A part .of this frame is anupturned bracket 2 in which is provided a bearin for the shaft 3 which carries the power pufiey 4. I refer to this as a single pulley, considerin it unnecessary to describe or show the or inary pair of tight and loose pulleys by means of which power can be thrown on or off.

Upon the shaft 3 is a pinion 5 which engages with the spur gear 6 keyed upon the riven shaft 7. This shaft is driven constantly in the same direction indicated by the arrow. On the shaft 7 and preferably fomed as a part of the s ur gear 6, is a crank 8 to which is jointed t e connecting rod 9. This rod is in turn jointed to the arm 11 which is fixed upon the rock-shaft 12. Consequently the arm 11 derives an oscillatory movement from the continuous rotation of shaft 7.

Fixed upon rock-shaft .12 is an arm 13, whose upper end is jointed to a link 14; and this link-is in turn jointed, hinged or pivoted to the cross-head 15 which through such connected mechanism derives a horizontal reciprocation in the extension 16 of the main frame. This cross-head is connected to the blank feeding device; and as such feed forms no part of my invention and is well known to all skilled in the art, I have considered it unnecessary to illustrate it in the drawings. It is sufficient to say that the usual bars provided with depressible latches are moved back and forth by the cross head 15, so that blanks'of sheet metal are fed forward step by step. On the back or reverse movement the depressible latches pass beneath the blank, which is held down by the usual upper guards and then the latch springs up and on the forward motion impels the blank into the edge hook forming mechanism. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 give progressive illustrations of the operation of this mechanism, and Fig. 2 shows how one side is operated, the operation on the other side bein similar.

Upon the driven shaft 7 as shown in Fig. 2 is a disk 16 having a cam groove 17. On each side of the machine is an angular lever 55 a bell crank lever 38 upon each side of the- 18 pivoted in the main frame as cured dies 21 preferably by means of screws 22. 'Inthe stationary casings 23, a slot is 1 formed to receive the blank. Now referring to Fig. 3 it will be noted that on theleft side of the view the edge of the blank rests upon the beveled or undercut die 24, while the tionary casings slightly beyond the dies 24,

other edge at the right side of the figure rests upon the casingitself and beneath the beveled or uppercutdie 25-. The earns 17 on both sides are so arranged and-timed as to rock the levers 18 and the dies carried by them in opposite directions. Observe that in Fig. 2, the edgesof the blank project into the sta- 25'; and so, when the levers 18' are rocked, the shoulder 26, on the left comes down and the shoulder 26 on the right comes up against 1 shown, and down on the right side, acute ang ular hooks are formed asshown in Fig. 5.-

hese hooks are ada ted to be interlocked when the cylindri-ca can body is made. After having its edge hooks formed the blank is carried forward to the horn or man drel 31,.- upon which it is shaped or formed,

and the side seam closed.- In Figs. 7," Sand 9 are shown difi'erent views'of the forming horn or mandrel and of the foldin wings which give the. cylindrical tubular s ape to being made,

' the pin 37.

upon the sheet on t the can body. The horn can be made either solid or hollow according to,the sizes of cans and to commercial economy H1 manufacture but in all cases such horns have a: hinged expan member 32, which when thrown out puts t sion or strain around the horn.

Referring. to Fig. 6 in connection with Figs. 3,. 4 and 5 it will be seen that the can body blank its edge-hooks formed. has been completed; The folding wings 33 are hinged upon the pin 34 and are connected by divergent links 35* tothe lever 36 ivoted upon As these wings old, the canv blank having its edge-hooks formed is ready to have its side-seam flattened and closed.

' On the shaft 7 or formed with the gear 6 is machine, and which operate the folding wings. These wings 33 fold downwardly body into cylindrical form. As a part of the same-operation the bumper 41- oomes up and com resses and flattens the seam, thereby to ucing acomplete can-body. The umper or seam-closer is simpl a die carried by an arm 42. The arm 42 a so carries the y a 1.2a

shown at and having at one end a roller. At the other extremities of the said angular levers are se-'.

it certain that suc place when the expander acts.

7 lents as fall e can body under a tene mandrel, and fold the members 43 which, rise and expand the horn so-as to-put the can body upon it at that time under a tensional strain. Figs. 7 and 9 show theex'panders 'ust described, and the bumper has complete its, upward movement, fiat-' teni-n-g the seam into.the longitudinal groove '45 in the bottom of the horn.

' The means for o eratin the bumper are shown in Fig. 1; 11V the s aft 7 1s a special earn having the groove 46 in which is the end roller 47 of the lever 48. This lever 48 through cranks 49 on the rock shaft 50, ad-

justable rod 51, and slide 52 Working in the guide 53 give the proper vertical movement to the arm 42 wh1ch carries the bumper, as will be well understood by mechamcs although such final connection isn'ot shown in the drawin s.

The result of the o eration of the machine described, is the ro uction of a can-body of substantially cy indrical form, with a good flat side-seam ready for soldering in case it is to be used for wet or moist goods, or capable as a seam, for bein .used'for dry materials.

In Fig.- 7 the bla has been folded by the *howthef'bumpcr operates in connection with wings but the hooks have not been engaged and the bumper and expander are inactive:

In Fig. 8 the wings are still folded, the bum or has come up and is actin as a stop for t e still unenga ed hooks there y making interlocki must take n Fig. 9 the wings have risen, the ex anders have thrown out the part 32 of the orn thereby pulling one hook into engagement with the other.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction and arrangements herein described and shown in the drawing, asI desire to avail myself of such modifications and equivaproperly within the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

' 1. In a can body forming machine, means a for supporting sheet-metal body blanks, op-

posite y placed oscillating dies, means for simultaneously oscillating said dies alternately in opposite directions against the blanks, and oppositely placed cooperating stationary dies; all of said dies havlng shaping faces arranged so that upon the first stroke of the oscillating dies in relatively opposite directions they form right-angled opposing bends at the edges of the lanks while upon the following or return stroke they press the previously bent edges between themselves and the stationary dies, so as to form acute-angular oppositely bent edges.

2. In a can body forming machine, a support for sheet metal body blanks, two dies operated alternately in opposite directions, and having separate s uare and angular shoulders, and two stationary dies havin so that the movable dies operating simu angular surfaces all constructed and arrange v neou slj against the exposed edges of the gle, and on the return stro blank first bend the said edges to a ri ht ane bend t em to an acute angle' 3. In a can body former, a support for bod blanks, stationary dies having respective y-under cut and upper cut inclined surfaces, movable dies each having a square shoulder and an inclined shoulder, and means for operating the movable dies, said movable dies being so arranged relatively to the stationary dies that oppositely disposed right angular bends are simultaneously formed at both edges of the blank by the square shoulders of the movable dies, which ri ht angular bends are changed to acute angular by the inclined shoulders of said movable dies.

4. In a can body formin machine, a supsort for body blanks, a s aft having cam isks, pivoted bell crank levers operated in opposite directions by said cam disks, a die carried by each of said levers and havin a square shoulder and an inclined shoul er,

form opposite right angular bends in the blank at the respective up and down strokes of said dies, and the angular shoulders change such bends to acute angular upon the return stroke.

5. In a can body forming machine, a mandrel or horn havin a hinged section, folding Wings, blank feeding means and a seam closer carrying one or more projecting arms; said seam closer bein adapted to bear upon the adjacent edge hooks of the can body upon the horn before said projecting arms expand said horn and interlock said hooks, and then to close the seam.

In testimony whereof signature, in presence of two Witnesses, this 24th day of January 1906.

JAMES A. GRAY.

Witnesses:

M. R. SEELY, F. M. BARTEL.

I have affixed my 

